One of the tribe
by celandine23
Summary: Darrren and his twin sister are at vampire mountain trying to become part of the tribe, but unfortunately there's a war making it a bit hard, not to mention teenage love issues, R&R pleeease?
1. Chapter 1

The forest ahead of us seemed to stretch on infinitely, miles and miles of tangled green branches and trees. It looked pretty impenetrable, however here and there, paths could be narrowly made out – marked out by all the vampires before us who had made this journey.

This journey home. Home – to vampire mountain. As much as I was scared, the excitement of coming to the place where I would live, of being with so many other vampires, and of learning our ways and customs overwhelmed my fear. Next to me, Rosie looked distinctly severe, her dark hair covering her face and hiding her expression. I couldn't tell what she was thinking but I knew it wasn't good. Instinctively, I reached out and held her hand, just reminding her that I was there. She didn't respond, slipping her hand out of mine and pulling her jacket tighter around her shoulders.

Coming to Vampire Mountain would be fine for me. Well, relatively speaking it would be fine. Mr Crepsley had mentioned that due to my age, finding acceptance would be harder. Not as hard as it would be for my sister, whose lack of physical strength marked her out as a different kind of vampire.

Mr Crepsley had first noticed the difference in her a few weeks after she became a vampire. She couldn't flit, didn't have healing spit, or super-sharp nails. Unlike me, she didn't become stronger. She seemed to have stayed the same.

Until Murlough kidnapped her, and kept her tied up in the sewers under the city, doing God knows what to her for three weeks until she escaped. Gavner had found her wandering around the tunnels, covered in blood and completely out of her mind. She'd escaped using telekinesis – her mind. Whereas I had physically developed as a vampire, she had done so mentally, using her mind to undo the chains which held her, and to kill Murlough. Her powers grew and grew, with the eerily ever-present Mr Tiny coaching her, honing her skills until the moment came when, after 2 years of training, she didn't need him anymore. Those two years had thrown up many obstacles – not least the fact that Rosie had suddenly realised that she was still fertile, a fact she had kept hidden from us all. Upon questioning Mr Tiny, he had revealed that she could indeed still bear children, a fact which served her well once we reached Vampire Mountain. That was when Mr Crepsley announced that we would leave for the mountain, and she retreated inside her mind.

Gavner put his hand on my shoulder.

'She'll be alright, Darren. You know she will. I know you think it'll be harder for her, but she can talk her way out of any situation. Just, worry about yourself, alright?'

He moved into the forest behind Mr Crepsley, who was walking with Rosie. Sighing, I ran to catch them up.

We walked for what seemed like weeks, but in reality it was only a few days – the trees all seemed the same, and each river that we came to seemed identical to the one before, until I felt sure that we were going around in circles. Mr Crepsley nodded when I suggested this:

'Darren, the way to Vampire Mountain is not easy. It is designed to test even the most seasoned of vampires, and thus in simply arriving at the mountain you have achieved an essential triumph. Many do not. But, I have done this many times before, and Gavner is a master tracker – we shall be there in a few days.'

'Yeah okay. I'll try and believe you.'

Rosie turned around and glared at me. 'Well did you expect us just to waltz in and settle down? I'm surprised it's been this easy, I mean let's be honest: we are vampires. We're meant to like trials and challenges and all that bullshit.'

Mr Crepsley turned to criticise her language but Gavner laughed:

'Let the girl say it, Larten. Let's face it, she is right!'

Rosie was already gone, walking steadily though the jungle of leaves, a small and determined figure. Back when we were human, she wouldn't have gone anywhere without make up and heels, but he journey to the mountain had changed that. She'd hacked off most of her hair a few days in – it had been waist length, and now it came to just below her shoulders, framing her pale face. Her hair was black, so black that it was nearly blue, and so her eyes shone out. They were unexpectedly bright blue, and I'd always envied them. We were twins, you see, but I'd ended up with brown hair and brown eyes, while her black and blue combination made her look slightly less human. Since becoming a vampire, her skin had paled to translucence, and the black tattoo on her wrist stood out more than any scar.

I heard her voice calling from up ahead, and Gavner flitted over to her. Thank the vampire Gods, she'd found a way station. And blood. And coffins. To rest in.

I collapsed in the nearest one, however Mr Crepsley pinched me, and with a yelp I leapt up.

'Darren, we are not resting until we reach the mountain. The final stage is the hardest, and I would prefer to get it over and done with. We need to meet with the Princes to discuss your sister as soon as possible.'

'Oh so now I'm a problem to be discussed? Tell me, has it already been decided who I'm going to get pregnant by?'

'Rosie, that is not what I meant at all. I merely – '

'Please, save all your sanctimonious shit for someone who cares.'

She turned to storm out, tears glittering in her eyes, but Gavner grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug.

'Come here, come here. Shh – calm down, you're going to be absolutely fine. No one is going to make you do anything you don't want to, but you have to understand that you are different to the rest of us, and that does need discussing.' She nodded and moved away, wiping her eyes and turning to Mr Crepsley.

'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that.'

He smiled slightly. 'Quite understandable. Now, shall we move on?'

He was right when he said a few days – two days later, out of absolutely nowhere, a mountain loomed out of the dark forest. We trekked around its base for another day, trying various entrances into the mountain, until on the third day we reached a tunnel – which had light at the end. We half-walked, half-crawled up it until we came to a large open space with a door at one end – and a vampire dressed in green standing by it.

'Marius!' Laughed Gavner, walking up to the vampire and clapping him on the back.

'Good to see you Gavner – you too Larten. He turned and stared at Rosie and I.

'Assistants? They look young.'

'Young,' said Mr Crepsley, 'But very capable.'

The guard nodded and opened up the door to us, and we walked into a larger hall filled with more vampires, all of whom turned and stared at us.

Mr Crepsley leant down to us and whispered 'Do not be afraid. They may look hostile, but the vampire clan is very close-knit, and they will easily accept you both.' He turned to Rosie and took her face in his hands. 'Rosie, there are very few female vampires in the mountain – at present, there are only 4. Most of them are older and battle scarred – many vampires here will not have seen a young, beautiful girl like you in years, so be prepared for staring and whispers. But we are an honourable clan – no vampire would do anything out of turn to you. They will treat you with the utmost respect.'

Rosie nodded and smiled, something I hadn't seen in weeks. She had blood smeared down her face and leaves in her hair, mud up her legs and back and more blood down her left arm (accidental run in with a bear, enough said.) But Mr Crepsley was right – she was still radiantly beautiful. She grabbed my hand tightly and squeezed it, and I could sense her nervousness. But we were home, and for the moment that was all that mattered.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: oops completely forgot disclaimer, so I've uploaded a slightly pointless bit just to insert that. obviously I don't own Darren Shan. Still T for language but M for more fun later, promise. Please review?

Rosie and I sat, for what seemed like hours, on a flat stone bench outside a large hall in which Mr Crepsley was reuniting with several old friends. For every vampire who walked past and ignored us, there were at least three who openly stared at us, to the point where Rosie started asking them if something was the matter, at which they quickly left.

'So.'

'So.

'Darren, I'm probably going to be married off to some ancient vampire and forced to have at least 200 children. And then they'll execute me because I can't fight. Shit, I can't even take the trials.'

'You might be overreacting a little? I mean...'

Mr Crepsley's arrival interrupted me. He looked overly cheerful, and held to two mugs of blood, which he thrust at us. 'Here, here - I am sorry but I lost track of the time. This is Seba Nile – the quartermaster of the mountain.' He indicated a man standing behind him, distinctly elder but with the same red hair, and same stiff demeanour as Mr Crepsley. He smiled, and took our hands in his.

'I never thought that young Larten would choose to take assistants, but I trust in his choices, and I am sure that you two are more than capable. If you two are ever in need of anything, do not hasten to find me.' Rosie smiled gratefully.

'Thank you, Mr Nile. I'm sure your experience and advice will be invaluable to us.'

Seba laughed and looked at Mr Crepsley, shaking his head. 'So, an educated modern teenager? I await her developments eagerly.'

Rosie looked slightly taken aback, but a swift kick prevented her from coming out with any sarcastic one-liners, and instead she smiled at Seba, who was explaining where our rooms would be.

'...now, do you want to share a room? Or would separate rooms be acceptable? Judging by the look on your faces, I will take that as separate...'

Evidently, being pretty counts for something in Vampire Mountain. Harkat and I were sharing a small room on the second floor, near to Mr Crepsley. Rosie, however, had a much larger room with a sort of balcony on the third floor, near to Gavner's room (Seba didn't think she should be on her own quite yet), and next door, apparently, to the room of Mika ver Leth, the youngest Prince. When I went up to visit her later, I heard laughter coming out of the open door, and walked in to see her sitting on a bed (which contrasted to my hard coffin...) and talking to a blonde vampire, who held a book in his hand.

'Oh, Darren! This is Kurda. He's been showing me around all morning, I wondered where you'd got to!'

The vampire sitting next to her on the bed (looking far too relaxed, I have to add) was tall and slim, and the exact opposite of almost every vampire we'd seen so far. He quickly stood up and shook my hand.

'Kurda Smahlt. Don't worry, my intentions with your sister are entirely honourable.'

My face must have shown him what I thought about this, as he laughed suddenly, turning back to sit on the bed again.

'Darren – don't panic. Gavner's busy all morning in the Hall of Princes and he's asked me to look after Rosie. He's too much of a worrier though... I imagine the pair of you are doing fine on your own.'

Rosie snorted and looked quizzically at me – unsurprising, seeing as I had two black eyes, a broken nose and a huge purple bruise emerging on my left arm. 'Oh... I found the games room.' The less said about that, the better, I felt.

Kurda and Rosie looked at me for a second, then went back to discussing the book that Kurda held in his hand.

'No but Kurda, you're not seeing my point – Tolstoy didn't write War and Peace as some sort of massive anti-revolution propaganda...' Before long, the pair of them were arguing about the ethics of the book, completely oblivious to my presence. If I'd found someone to aspire to be like in Arra Sails, evidently my sister had found her new soul mate in Kurda Smahlt.

The door opened again and I turned to see Gavner charging in, a smile on his face. 'Ah, Darren! I heard about your little escapade in the games room, well done... Kurda.' He stopped and looked at the man on the bed, who swung his head around to face Rosie.

She laughed and walked over to her dressing table, picking up a locket and fastening it around her neck. 'Kurda darling, I love your relationship with Gavner. So please, feel free.'

Kurda shyly walked over to Gavner and kissed him lightly on the lips, which surprised me slightly less than I thought – I suppose living with Gavner, Mr Crepsley and Rosie for 6 years has sort of shattered my standard thoughts about sex...

Gavner wrapped his arms around Kurda, stroking one of his arms. A silence fell in the room and Rosie frowned, walking slowly over to them. 'Gavner... What's the matter?'

Gavner sighed. 'Rosie... the princes wish to speak to you now.'

'But Mr Crepsley said Darren and I would have to wait a week, maybe two... we're been here for only a day...'

'Yes, Darren will still have to wait. It's you they wish to speak to, as you require a far greater degree of debate.'

Rosie was deathly white. 'But... I haven't thought of anything to say to them...'

Gavner smiled fondly and took her hand in his.

'Yes, but you have a natural talent for coming out with deeply philosophical statements out of the blue. I promise you, you'll be fine.'

Kurda opened the door. 'Come on then, you don't want to keep Mika ver Leth waiting.'

She walked out of the door behind the two men, her tiny figure looking even smaller than usual. When she turned around to face me, her eyes were terrified, seeking some kind of reassurance from me.

But then the door closed, and I was left on my own in her empty room, suddenly realising the dangerous position we were in. Yes, we had made it to the mountain, however we still had a long way to go before we reached safety.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N – it's not going to be from Darren's POV anymore, too much will happen when he's not there.

And obviously I don't own DS, that's all him.

Up until an hour before this, Gavner had been pretty happy. He was back at the mountain, sleeping in his own coffin, eating food which he hadn't had to spend the past hour catching, and most importantly he was spending time with Kurda. Well, they hadn't got around to talking yet but they were back on track with the sexual aspect of their relationship. But this afternoon, Larten had gone before the princes to explain the situation with his controversial new assistants, starting with Rosie.

'I gather.' Said Paris Skyle, 'That the girl is no ordinary vampire.'

Larten stepped up to the princes' platform; 'That is, indeed, the truth. When I first made her into a vampire I was distinctly worried; she did not, ah, adapt in the normal way. Her bone structure, her muscles – they did not change at all. She cannot flit, however her senses have changed to the other extreme – she can sense vampaneze from miles away, further away than any other vampire I have met can. Her main attribute, however, is her mind – we visited Lady Evanna on our journey here, and she took great interest in the development of Rosie's mind control – within weeks she could fight Evanna using her mind and win. She is so strong mentally that it almost seems like she is some kind of new breed.'

Arrow leant forward. 'That seems more than a little bizarre – you say herr brother has developed normally?'

'Well, as any half vampire would. Perhaps stronger than normal.'

Paris stroked his beard. 'Larten... I sense you are holding something back.'

'I am afraid that I am. It is the last of her attributes which defines her – she is fertile, Paris. She is a vampire, and she can bear children. She is the girl spoken of in ancient vampire myth, the one destined to carry the first vampire child, and in time she will unite the tribes. Evanna herself believes it to be true. She is, indeed, physically weak, and will be unable to take the trials to prove herself but her part is an important one, and she will play it well. It is my belief that she will be the downfall of Desmond Tiny.'

There was a stunned silence throughout the hall, until Mika stood to speak. 'You say Evanna has verified this? This is no coincidence, a trick of Tiny perhaps?'

Larten shook his head. 'She speaks the truth. I am willing to lay my life on the line for it.'

Paris turned to the assembled vampires, and announced; 'Well, in that case, perhaps we had better let her speak for herself.'

At which point Gavner left the hall of Princes to fetch her, feeling very worried indeed.

The girl who walked up the steps to the Princes' platform was not quite what they expected. She wasn't tiny, but compared to the huge Gavner Purl, she looked like a doll, albeit one with sharply piercing eyes, and a fiercely determined expression. Her black hair was pulled into a plait, framing a heart-shaped face with high cheekbones and a small mouth. She seemed altogether ethereal, beautifully transcending the hall of vampires.

There was a stunned silence, in which she calmly regarded each of the Princes in turn, her face not betraying any expression.

'So.' Said Paris finally. 'I gather, Miss Shan, that you are no ordinary vampire.'

'I don't have much to compare with, but I gather that's the case.'

He smiled. 'Well, telepathy aside, your development as a vampire is clearly out of the ordinary.'

'I've actually studied it, and it's far less complicated than it seems. All that seems to have happened is that, rather than just accepting the vampire blood Mr Crepsley bled me with, the cells in my body have taken it on and adapted it to their own ends. Some have rejected it entirely, leaving me fertile, some have adapted it and some have just left it as it is. That's the only explanation I can give, I'm afraid.'

'You don't need an explanation. Mr Tiny's – or rather, Larten's – has sufficed. However, this does not mean that myself and my fellow princes have not deliberated over it. You see, my dear, when a vampire first comes to the mountain, they are presented to the council and accepted as one of us after lengthy debate, which in almost all cases results in the vampire taking the trials. This is clearly not an option for you – your strengths are not physical. Many vampires argued that that was irrelevant – even Kurda, who, like you, has few physical strengths, took the trials. He has stalwartly argued that for you to take the trials would be reckless and would waste a life that is so clearly meant for more.'

'I understand that it seems somewhat elitist to say that I shouldn't take the trials, but that isn't to say that in the future I won't take them.

'I don't need the approval of the vampire court because I know that, whether or not I get it, I will succeed in my destiny. Not to say that I have a destiny mapped out for me, but because I know what I need to do, and I know that I will get there. But the thing is, I didn't become a vampire to be rejected by the rest of the clan. You may have no respect for me, but my lack of physical strength is no reason for that – that's ridiculous, to refuse to accept those with different talents when you are on the brink of such a destructive war. I'm not here to change your ways, but nonetheless I am here, and we can't change that.

'Both physically, and mentally, I will remain the way I am and I'm not going to change because you can't see past the outer shell and into the bigger picture. I am willing to do anything to help the clan, to prevent the destruction of everything you stand for, everything I have grown to love, to admire and to aspire to. I may never be able to physically fight but that is not to say that I am worthless, or at least not worthy in your eyes. I am so proud to be a vampire, and the things I have experienced at the hands of the vampaneze have made me even more determined to prove this.

'Arra said that vampires have no room for those who need to be looked after, but I am not that person. I would never ask for defence, or try to avoid doing my duty, or flinch from doing what is necessary. I'm inferior to you in my strength, but in everything else I am just as strong as you, just as dedicated to this tribe. I wouldn't hesitate to die for it. But please don't send me to the trials, or execution – I don't want to die for nothing. I have more to live for than that. I have so much to give the clan, to my people, and I don't want that to be thrown away. I'm different to you, but that isn't to say that I don't deserve to be here, or have any less right to stand in this hall than any of the vampires in here. I'm young, and I know that my future won't be easy, but as a vampire I didn't expect anything else. I want to use my talents for good, for this people, and for the history and thousands of years of vampire existence. I have so much to live for, so much to give, so much to prove to you. Just give me that chance, and don't throw it away over an ancient tradition.'

The silence that followed her speech was long, until suddenly Arrow, who had thus far said nothing, stood up and walked toward her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded gravely.

'You are a truly wonderful vampire, Primrose. What you just said was immensely brave, and struck truer than you can imagine. You are worthy to stand here in this hall, and I challenge any vampire in here to say otherwise.'

For a second, no one stirred. Then a tall vampire general with dark hair stood up and began to applaud. Not a single person abstained, as the vampires in the hall rose as one to applaud her.

'See?' whispered Kurda 'They've accepted you. They respect you for that speech – it was fucking brave, and I'm so proud of you.' Tears were glittering in his eyes as he spoke, as they were in the eyes of Gavner and of Larten, who had slipped in at the back of the hall unnoticed.

Paris stood and walked to join Arrow and Rosie.

'Welcome to the mountain, little one.'


	4. Chapter 4

A/N – just had the urge to write this. It's crappy, but it's hot. Disclaimer = same as before, as I still don't own Darren Shan.

Mika made his way down to the showers slowly, contemplating the events of the morning. Two new vampires, both of whom were really quite attractive... his mind began to wander as he contemplated thoughts about what he would actually like to do with the twins. Damn that bastard Crepsley, he probably had them both obeying his every whim.

Pushing the door open, he entered the shower and pulled off his black shirt and trousers, dropping them down a laundry chute by the door. Grabbing soap and a towel, he prepared himself for the bracing water; however a noise from the far corner stopped him in his tracks.

'Ah...shit...fuck fuck FUCK...'

He heard a groaning noise, tensing as he rounded the corner, waiting to see whoever was making the noise – hell, in this frame of mind he'd probably join them.

The sight that greeted him was not quite what he expected. Rosie Shan was crawling around the floor of the showers completely naked, face scrunched up, desperately fumbling for her towel.

'Oh my god it stings...'

Ah. Vampire mountain soap. Mika knew from personal experience that it was not fun to get it in your eyes, as the stinging pain kept on for hours. Either way, he contemplated, observing the naked girl on the floor in front of him, he couldn't just leave her half blind in the shower. Sighing, he wrapped his towel around his waist, picked hers up off the floor and passed it to her.

'Here... try and wash the soap off a bit before you rub it.'

Slowly, she opened her bloodshot eyes to look at him, while he quite openly continued to stare at her breasts. Which, he thought, were a lot nicer now that she wasn't wearing that hideous old jumper of Gavner's.

'Sire...what are you doing?'

The awkwardness of the situation suddenly hit him. He was in the shower with a half naked young girl, whose protector would not doubt kill him if he even touched her, and, goddamit, he was getting hard. He felt heat rise through his cheeks and turned away to hide the blush, whilst frantically thinking of things to calm his rising erection. _Paris' beard. Harkat. Kurda's mouth... NO MIKA CONCENTRATE...Gavner snoring..._

'I'm sorry, but do you need any help?' He opened his eyes to see that Rosie had moved around to stand in front of him, her towel wrapped around her and her eyes clear of soap. She wore a sly expression which didn't quite match the virtuous one she had worn earlier on in the Hall of Princes. Her eyes, so blue, so icy blue and deep, so deep... He couldn't tear his gaze away as she stepped slowly toward him and unwrapped the towel from around his waist, laying a small, cool, hand on the centre of his chest, and moving it down.

'Seeing as you helped me with my little, ah, situation back there, I feel it would only be appropriate for me to help you with yours?'

'Rosie I really don't think this is appropriate... ah GODS.'

Her hand had settled on his cock, and began to slowly move up and down. She moved onto her knees and lowered her mouth, and CHRIST, she'd taken him fully in her mouth, which was clearly a lot bigger than it looked from the outside. He couldn't resist any longer – fuck Larten Crepsley, and fuck the rules. He was a Prince, and she was too damn hot, and besides, who would find out? He roughly grabbed her, pinning her against the rocky wall and kissing her violently, nipping at her neck, her throat, her lips. He began to lick at her nipples, gently nibbling until he heard a sigh from her, and she began to arch her back toward him. She fastened both legs around his waist, and in one swift movement he lifted her off the floor. Charna's guts, she weighed about as much as a bowl of bat soup. Not like Vancha, who nearly crushed him when they had sex.

He'd missed having a girl about the mountain.

And, he reflected, as he began to move in and out of her, this was most definitely no ordinary vampire.


	5. Chapter 5

Rosie woke up to the sound of water, rushing through rock and splashing on the ground somewhere near her. Opening her eyes slowly and trying desperately to focus, she realised that she was lying on the stone floor of the showers, out of the way of the running water but still freezing cold and wet. Sitting up, she turned to her left to observe the man lying next to her, arm still around her waist. Sighing, she pushed him off and stood up, taking a moment to look at his body, which, she had to say, was pretty damn good for a man who was about 200.

She pulled her dress back on and picked up her shoes, leaning down to momentarily kiss Mika on the cheek before quietly leaving. It would have been more than a bit awkward to wake up with him, she reflected, silently closing the door and tiptoeing through the quiet corridors of the mountain back to her room. Once in, she quickly pulled on a pair of pyjamas and jumped into her coffin, pulling up the blanket and closing her eyes a second before Mr Crepsley opened the door to check she was safely in her coffin and asleep. He smiled quietly and blew out the candle by the door before turning to go, not noticing that her eyes were wide open and she was smiling wickedly.

'Mika? Mika?.... Seriously, wake up...MIKA FOR CHRISTSSAKE!'

A hand ruffled his hair, until his slapped it away with a grunt.

'Arrow what...Charna's guts! What the hell am I doing?' He leapt up and grabbed for his trousers as Arrow sat back and laughed.

'I'd like to know the answer to that too... I came in and you were passed out naked on the floor. Care to explain?'

Mika ran a hand through his hair, frowning, as last night's activities in the shower came back to him. A few hours with that girl and it was no wonder he passed out... He pulled his hair back with a piece of black leather and buttoned up his shirt.

'Typical vampire antics, Arrow. Nothing for you to worry about.'

He finished fastening his tie and walked to the door. 'Hall of Princes?'

Arrow flitted over and stood between him and the door. 'Mate, you're going nowhere until you tell me everything that happened last night. And I'm not an idiot; I've been your friend for a century. I know when you're lying.'

In a rare moment, Mika smiled, and pushed his friend aside. 'That, Arrow, is for me to know and you to wonder.' He clicked his heels together and walked off, leaving Arrow open mouthed in the doorway, staring at a white rose hairclip that was lying on the floor, a strand of black hair tangled in it.

Rosie stifled a yawn at the table she was sitting at, picking unenthusiastically at the lump of meat in front of her. Kurda swung into the seat opposite her, pulling a face.

'Late night?'

'You bet.'

'So... Are you going to tell me? I mean you've been here for 2 days, what could you possibly have got up to?'

Rosie opened her mouth to reply but was stopped by the sight of Mika Ver Leth walking into the hall, she closed her mouth and stared furiously at the table, however Kurda turned to look and was amused by Mika's embarrassment being caught staring at Rosie.

'Oh. So that's what you were doing last night. Congratulations, I suppose – you've really jumped in at the deep end.'

'God Kurda, please don't tell anyone? Especially not Darren and PLEASE not Mr Crepsley... He'll lock me in my room with a chastity belt. Seriously.'

Kurda laughed and reached across the table to take her hand. 'Darling, your secret's safe with me, and besides, Mika won't tell anyone. He's pretty good at keeping secrets.'

Rosie stood up to leave, worry written all over her face. 'I really hope so. Otherwise I'm already screwed.'

Later on, walking back from the games room (where she had miserably failed to be any good at anything, and consequently was covered from head to toe in cuts and bruises), she considered taking a shower. Probably not a good idea, given what had happened yesterday. She stuck her head around the door to Darren's room, where he was sitting talking with Seba.

'I'm going to sleep for a bit, see you at dinner?'

'Yeah will do, I have so much to tell you! You've probably got loads to tell me too though.'

'Not much...' She turned away, laughing, and walked back up the stairs to her room, unlocking the door and then collapsing against it once she was in. Gods, she was tired. The thought of getting up and walking to her coffin just seemed a bit too much... She closed her eyes for a second, opening them suddenly when she heard a noise in the corner of her room.

'Tired?'

Mika was sitting on top of her coffin, blending into the darkness in his sombre black clothes.

'Just a bit, I just got ripped to shreds by Arra and Vanez in the games halls.'

She stood up and lit a candle, moving around to light the rest of her room. Mika watched her quietly.

'Mika... What are you doing here? And how did you even get into my room?'

'Being a Prince has its perks, and it doesn't take much to get a key to your room. And besides, I had to return this.' He lifted up a hand, showing her a white rose hairclip. She visibly relaxed a little and smiled, turning away from him to pour a mug of blood. There was a sudden breeze, and she felt an arm wrap itself around her waist.

'And anyway, I felt we left a few things unsaid last night.'

Rosie tried to push him away, but failed as his grip of steel still held her. 'Mika, I don't really want a relationship of any sort at the moment, and I think perhaps it would be better if we just, you know, left last night as a onetime thing.'

'See, Rosie, that's the problem. I'm a vampire prince. You're, well, you're no-one. So I can't just let you sleep with me and walk away, that wouldn't look too good for me, would it? Besides, I'm sure you wouldn't be too opposed to the idea of anything else?' He let her go and stepped back for a minute, watching her turn around quickly to face him, breathing heavily. There was something in her eyes, a look that he couldn't quite define.

'Mika I – I...' He crossed the room in a few strides and kissed her suddenly, passionately. Tossing her head, she pulled away from him, unable to remove his arms from around her. For a moment, he thought she might spit in his face.

She didn't though, and he guided her over to the coffin, and she moved like she was in a dream, unable to control herself.

Moaning sleepily, Kurda rolled over in his coffin as the sound of knocking woke him. 'Uhh... what is it?'

The door opened, and Rosie came in holding a candle, her hair dishevelled, her eyes red and puffy. Kurda sat up immediately and hit Gavner, who was fast asleep next to him.

'What? What? Huh?'

'Get out, come on.' Gavner looked up and saw Rosie, trembling slightly from cold. He sighed and got up, collapsing on a couch and falling straight back to sleep again. Kurda opened his arms, and Rosie crawled into the coffin alongside him.

'I – I, I didn't really want to but then he was there! He was so there and I just couldn't resist, but Kurda I honestly thought he might stay. But he didn't, he didn't, cause when I woke up he was gone, and I was so alone, and oh my god, Kurda, it was so dark and I was so cold, and so alone...' She trailed off into silence and he held her as she cried, surprised at the sudden display of emotion from someone who seemed to cold. Someone who seemed so much like himself. He looked across at the sleeping figure of Gavner and was reminded, not for the first time, of how lucky he was.


	6. Chapter 6

Darren wasn't happy. Sure, he'd successfully passed his first trial, which went against all odds, and sure, he was actually becoming quite popular around the mountain (he had to say he wasn't surprised, compared to most of the battle-scarred vampires around here he was really quite hot) but there was something that just wasn't right.

Arra Sails. Arra, Arra, Arra. What was he going to do about her?

Following their run-in on the bars a few weeks previously, the two had become quite close, and Arra was doing all that she could to help him with his trials. Their time spent together had kicked up something he hadn't been aware of either: one night, in an attempt to get any useful information about Larten Crepsley out of her, he had managed to get her completely wasted, enough so that (before she passed out in a corridor somewhere) she had told him that, once upon a time, she and Mr Crepsley had been mates.

Ordinarily, Darren wasn't the jealous type. He was overprotective (particularly of Rosie), but when it came to relationships he tended to just go with the flow, and see what happened. But Mr Crepsley was an entirely different case, because, Darren thought, he was _his. _His mentor, his friend, his guide, and his lover. And having Arra Sails around only complicated the picture, because he _really _didn't want Mr Crepsley to ditch him for some old, hardened warrior who quite possibly had more scars than Gavner.

The door to his room swung open, jerking him out of his thoughts and back to reality. Mr Crepsley stood in the doorway.

'Darren, you should be asleep. Your next trial starts in a few hours – there is little to gain from worrying.' He walked to the centre of the room, taking off his cloak and laying it on a chair. Darren swung his legs back into the coffin, turning angrily on his side. 'Well, if I'm asleep, I don't see why you should be here.'

He missed the momentary look of hurt that crossed Mr Crepsley's face, however he merely stood up, walked to the coffin, and placed a gently kiss on Darren's cheek, before making his way back to the door. 'I shall leave you in peace, then. If you need anything, I will be in the hall of Kheldon Lurt with Arra.' He abruptly left, and Darren sat straight back up again, indignant. His second trial was coming in which he may well DIE, and his mentor was off with his ex. Great. Really, really, great. Stretching, he pulled on a jumper and marched out of the room, intent on finding a solution to his problem.

An hour later, he began to understand why Rosie spent so much time with Kurda, who seemed so nice and sweet but had an evil streak to him that Darren had completely missed out on.

'...so you get left with a choice of Gavner, but I'm dating him so that's a no, Arrow, but I don't think he does guys, Mika...' they looked at each other, then shook their heads 'Or...Vanez?'

Darren nodded slowly. 'Definitely an option, but what's his link to Mr Crepsley?'

Kurda smiled devilishly. 'Well, a long time ago, Larten got sent on a mission by the princes, and they said he could take another vampire along with him – providing it was a general. This was `before Vanez became Games Master, and Larten was absolutely infatuated with him. Like, seriously obsessed, he used to...' Kurda dissolved into hysterical laughter, desperately trying to continue 'he used to write him love poems and slip them under Vanez's door... Oh my god I can't even tell you the rest...' He breathed deeply and flicked his hair back.

'Anyway, Vanez wasn't particularly keen on him, so he wasn't too happy when Larten said that he wanted Vanez to come with him on the mission. He tried so hard not to go, he literally begged the princes to let him stay in the mountain but they'd said that Larten could take anyone, and couldn't go against that. The Games Master had just recently died, and we didn't have a new one, but Arrow was in the process of deciding who the new one could be. He's always been close to Vanez and I think he just took pity on him... anyway I'm not too sure what happened, but the next day, just as Larten was about to leave, Arrow announced that he couldn't take Vanez because Vanez was the new Games Master. Larten just absolutely broke down, he attacked Arrow, which given the size difference I'm sure you can imagine didn't go too well for him, and he ended up being locked in the dungeons for a couple of days to cool off. Then Arrow announced that, as the mission needed to be done and Vanez wasn't formally Games Master yet, he could take it, and the two of them went off on the mission leaving Larten behind to lick his wounds. Don't think he spoke to either of them for about ten years.'

Darren smiled to himself. Oh yes, he knew how to get Mr Crepsley back. He knew how to make him feel just as jealous as Darren himself was feeling at that minute, and he was pretty sure that he was going to succeed.

Arrow stepped up to the platform by the Path of Needles, briefly taking in the Vampires amassed around him, and waiting for Darren to arrive to complete his next trial. Rosie was standing with Gavner and Kurda, both of whom had their arms around her, looking as white as a sheet. Larten was with, Arrow noted with a smile, Arra, both of them staring expectantly at the door that Darren would emerge through. Laughing could be heard from down the tunnel, and a sudden crash as something was pushed to the floor –then Darren came charging through the door, t-shirt partially torn and laughing, followed closely by Vanez. The two gazed at each other for a second, before briefly hugging; then Darren walked over to Arrow, taking off the t-shirt in preparation for the trial. His back was red, with a hand imprint on one shoulder, and more than one vampire chuckled as he walked past.

Mr Crepsley, however, did not. Sweeping his red cloak about him, he stormed out of the hall, stopping only to give Vanez an intense look of hatred. The door slammed behind him, and Kurda nodded to himself. Oh, yes. Darren had most definitely started a war, and he eagerly awaited the outcome.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N, I don't own DS, for a change. Alllllso, this is from Darren's p.o.v, r&r? please? love

It's amazing how, in one split second, your whole world can change. I don't know, maybe I was still being over-confident about winning my stupid argument with Crepsley, maybe Vanez had succeeded in making me think I could do anything. Either way, when that boar charged at me I didn't think it would end like this, in a tiny cell at the bottom of the mountain, awaiting my fate. Which was probably going to be execution, given that the Princes didn't deal with failed trials too leniently.

Rosie had spent the whole night outside my door, trying to encourage me and pretend that everything was going to be okay, but eventually Gavner had come down to tell her to go, as 'visitors', as he put it, weren't exactly meant to visit vampire prisoners. The loneliness made my cell shrink around me until I couldn't breathe, the blackness seemed so dense, and I had never quite felt so alone.

A sudden shaft of bright light swept across my face and I sat up, squinting into the source of the light, to see a familiar blonde vampire closing my cell door behind him. Before I could speak, he put his hand over my mouth to silence me, waiting a second before slowly removing it.

'I haven't got much time. I've drugged the guards, but they'll be awake before long. Come quickly.' He stood up and pulled me to my feet, dragging me out of the door and down a flight of stairs in the opposite wall which I hadn't even noticed on my way in. At the bottom, he stopped. 'Darren, you have to run. I'm not joking. To stay here, and let yourself get executed – it's ridiculous.'

I hesitated, and he grabbed my arm and twisted me viciously toward him. 'I'm doing this for you. Think about this, you're young; you have your whole life ahead of you. Think about what you could do, away from here. Think about the life you're going to throw away if you wait here to be dropped on those stakes, all because no-one here can see outside of their ridiculous laws.'

I nodded, silent, unable to speak aloud what I was too scared to admit. He breathed deeply. 'Follow these stairs until you reach the bottom, and then turn left. Continue along the passage until it gets too narrow to stand, and look to your right – there's a hole in the wall. Push yourself through, and you'll be at the end of the river. It's shallower there, and you can walk until you're out of the mountain.'

'Kurda I-'

'Don't. Run, Darren. And don't look back. Things are going to change here, it's better that you go.' There was a curious look in his eyes, of intensity, anger and fear, and I turned to go silently, dreading what lay ahead. I continued to walk down the stairs, and when I stopped at the bottom I realised he had gone and, again, I was completely alone in the darkness. All I could hear was the sound of my own breathing, and I resolutely set off down the tunnel to the left. I came to a crossroads, and was about to continue straight on when I realised I could hear raised voices coming from above me. Climbing up a rocky wall to my right, I lifted myself onto a small ledge and stared through a tiny chink in the rock – straight into the Hall of Princes, of all the places. Mika was standing to talk angrily about something that I couldn't quite hear, and Kurda was standing quietly to the side, observing.

I was about to leave, having taken my last look at the vampires that I knew and loved when the doors to the hall crashed open with an almighty sound, and I cursed inwardly. All the princes were in the hall, and the only person who could open the doors who wasn't a prince was my dear telekinetic sister, who was now charging down the hall with a look of fury in her eyes, ignoring Gavner who was hurrying forward to stop her.

'What the FUCK have you done to my brother?' She screamed, and I saw her slap Kurda loudly across the cheek. Paris stood up quickly; 'Rosie, what is the meaning of this? You cannot come charging into this hall with no reason at-'

She cut him off. 'My brother is missing from his cell. It's not his trial date. He wouldn't run – someone's taken him out and set him free, and there's only one person I can think of who would.'

Kurda stood up and wiped the blood off his cheek. 'Darling, I haven't done anything to your brother.'

'Don't you dare lie to me Kurda Smahlt. You've let him go, and probably tricked him into thinking it's the right thing. Bring him back. I want him back here.'

Kurda laughed. 'Even if I knew where he was, why do you want him back? Do you wish to see him die?'

She shook her head. 'Idiot. If I thought he was going to die I'd have set him free already. I've seen the future, Kurda, and it's a future that has Darren in it. And I've always been right with my visions.'

Arrow stood up to speak. 'Two guards have just been found in the hallway passed out, and Darren is not in his cell. Rosie, I do believe you when you say he has not run, but I cannot stand here and let you accuse a future Prince.' He signalled to some tall vampires in the corner. 'Staffen, Vanya, Mikhail. Scout the area around the mountain and see if there's any trace of the boy leaving. If not, place guards on the main exits and begin to track the tunnels.' They nodded and left, and Arrow turned back to Rosie.

'Knowing you as I do, it's unlikely that I could get you apologise to Kurda. Either way, I'll have to ask you not to get involved in this.' He tuned to Paris and Mika, and the three engaged in a brief discussion, before Mika walked across to Rosie. 'I'm _terribly sorry _to have to do this, but I'm going to have to lock you up now. Don't want you escaping and killing Kurda, do we now?' Her mouth opened to protest, but before she could say anything he had dragged her out of the hall, in the direction of the all-too-familiar cells. A cold silence settled in the hall before Mr Crepsley stood up to speak.

'Never, in all my years here, have I seen such despicable actions. Locking up a vampire for speaking out of turn? Paris, you should know better.' He turned smartly and left the hall, closely followed by – oh, great – Arra.

I sighed and dropped down onto the floor of the tunnel. Even though Kurda had made it clear that I couldn't stay in the mountain, my sister had been locked up by a prince who continued to use her for sex,and Arra was preying on Mr Crepsley in his time of need, while Kurda was displaying a cruel side of him that I had never seen before. Something was not right, and I knew, somehow, that staying was the better option. I turned back to the stairs to go, but not before something came crashing down on my skull, completely flooring me. The last thing I saw before being knocked out for good was a narrow purple face with blood-red eyes, and I realised, in horror, that I would never have escaped the mountain anyway, because Kurda had sent me straight into a trap.


End file.
